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Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s
Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World,’
a visit to the crater is a main drawcard for tourists coming to
Tanzania and a definite world-class attraction. Within the crater
rim, large herds of zebra and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping
lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns
to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden
grass in the morning mist. Just outside the crater’s ridge,
tall Masaai herd their cattle and goats over green pastures through
the highland slopes, living alongside the wildlife as they have
for centuries.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area includes its
eponymous famous crater, Olduvai Gorge, and huge expanses of highland
plains, scrub bush, and forests that cover approximately 8300 square
kilometres. A protected area, only indigenous tribes such as the
Masaai are allowed to live within its borders. Lake Ndutu and Masek,
both alkaline soda lakes are home to rich game populations, as well
as a series of peaks and volcanoes and make the Conservation Area
a unique and beautiful landscape. Of course, the crater itself,
actually a type of collapsed volcano called a caldera, is the main
attraction. Accommodation is located on its ridges and after a beautiful
descent down the crater rim, passing lush rain forest and thick
vegetation, the flora opens to grassy plains throughout the crater
floor. The game viewing is truly incredible, and the topography
and views of the surrounding Crater Highlands out of this world.
This truly magical place is home to Olduvai Gorge,
where the Leakeys discovered the hominoid remains of a 1.8 million
year old skeleton of Australopithecus boisei, one of the distinct
links of the human evolutionary chain. In a small canyon just north
of the crater, the Leakeys and their team of international archaeologists
unearthed the ruins of at least three distinct hominoid species,
and also came upon a complete series of hominoid footprints estimated
to be over 3.7 million years old. Evacuated fossils show that the
area is one of the oldest sites of hominoid habitation in the world.
The Ngorongoro Crater and the Ngorongoro Conservation
Area are without a doubt some of the most beautiful parts of Tanzania,
steeped in history and teeming with wildlife. Besides vehicle safaris
to Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, and surrounding attractions,
hiking treks through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are becoming
increasingly popular options. Either way you choose to visit, the
Crater Highlands are an unforgettable part of the Tanzanian experience.
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